2015 Honda Fit Too Cool for School – and Maybe Me

Some vehicles go for more than a decade without changing much (Nissan Titan, I am looking at you) but others seem to get makeovers as often as the seasons change. The Honda Fit falls into this latter category as although it was introduced to the U.S. in 2006 as a 2007 model, MY2015 is the third-generation of the tiny Honda.

2015 Honda Fit/Images courtesy Honda

Fit is the subcompact runabout from Honda aimed at practicality, fuel efficiency and affordability for this market. It arrives as a five-door, four-seater hatchback powered by a small but technologically advanced engine and transmission to deliver stellar fuel economy in town and on the highway for modern, active consumers without letting go too much of the fun of driving.

Our 2015 Fit tester arrived fully loaded in EX-L Navi trim but even the base cars are loaded to the gills with the latest safety technology including side impact and side curtain airbags with rollover sensors and vehicle stability assist with brake assist and electronic brake distribution.

At the heart of the new small Honda is the Earth Dreams Technology 1.5-liter inline four-cylinder engine that gets direct injection and variable valve and timing control to generate a very sprite 130hp and 114 lb. ft. of torque. The engine produces ample power on demand across a wide range thanks to the new CVT gearbox with G-Shift Control (and steering wheel paddle shifters for you manu-matic nuts out there). This engine/transmission combination works to offer drivers good acceleration on demand with little to no lag time and an elimination of the “rubber band” feel common to CVTs.

What came as a bit of a surprise is the EPA fuel economy figures supplied with the new Fit. A rating of 32 mpg city was no biggie but the 38 mpg highway seemed on the low side for such a small car considering there are midsize sedans on the market that achieve this. In our actual findings however this figure was easily outdone even at Texas toll road speeds with the AC cranked up. We saw over 40 mpg all day long.

Styling for the 2015 Fit has been updated keeping it fresh in its class that sees the likes of Chevy Spark, Ford Fiesta and Nissan Versa and being a Honda it included the latest infotainment technology as well including Siri Eyes Free integration and next generation HondaLink driver connectivity and Bluetooth HandFreeLink. This new Fit sees the model’s first integration of Honda’s Display Audio system, which translates to “we have removed all the knobs and buttons and you now have to touch the screen to operate everything.” This was a feature I did not enjoy too greatly and while basic volume and tuning are repeated with controls on the steering wheel, everything else needs undo attention taken away from the road to operate the system on the screen (unless, of course, you love talking to your car, then just use voice activation).

I guess you could say this 2015 Honda Fit is too cool for school and perhaps a bit too cool for me as well.
I found the new Fit to be a fun car to drive and liked the acceleration provided by the new powertrain. The car was also very responsive to steering and braking inputs and handled very well on the open highway and on twisty backroads in the Texas Hill Country.

My biggest concern with the 2015 Fit is the noise level inside the cabin. My wife likes to talk to me during road trips and we discuss roadside attractions and local faire but in this new Fit we found ourselves having fits quite often as there was so much noise. This was one of the absolute loudest vehicles I have been inside of in quite some time. Noise associated with wind and road conditions interfered with audio system enjoyment and our usual intra-vehicular conversations.

Honda offers the 2015 Fit in LX, EX and EX-L trim levels with choice of six-speed manual transmission or the aforementioned CVT gearbox. Pricing begins at a base MSRP of $15,525 with our loaded EX-L w/Navi tester arriving at $21,590. There is an Econ mode available for those of you finding difficulty with realizing not pressing the gas pedal so hard will save you fuel and a base LX with CVT sees the highest EPA ratings of 33 mpg city and 41 mpg highway but as I mentioned earlier we were seeing those numbers all day long in our driving.

Overall the 2015 Honda Fit is a winner as it is easy to drive, offers the latest safety and tech and provides consumers a comfortable vehicle with ample space for a vehicle with such a small footprint. And if you like to listen to your audio system really, really loud you won’t even notice the road noise.

About the Author

David was editor of AutoworldToday at Today Newspapers in the Dallas suburbs until its closing in 2009. He was also webmaster and photographer/videographer. He got started doing photography for the newspaper while working as a firefighter/paramedic in one of his towns, and began working for the newspaper group full-time in 1992.
David entered automotive journalism in 1998 and became AutoworldToday editor in 2002. On the average, he drives some 100 new vehicles each year. He enjoys the great outdoors and as an avid fly fisherman, as is his spouse Tish. He especially enjoys nature photography and is inspired by the works of Ansel Adams.

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